JACKSON, MI – In the wake of the federal government shutdown, Jackson County officials are scrambling to find ways to feed about 2,435 senior citizens who depend on the county’s home-delivered meals or nutrition sites.

Region 2 officials have called an "emergency board meeting" this week to devise a funding “contingency plan” if the government shutdown continues.

The home-delivered meals program and congregate meal program are both priorities for the Department on Aging and senior citizens will not go without food, according to Marce Wandell, the Department on Aging director.

If the shutdown continues, Wandell said the department would make other cuts in an effort to continue to provide meals.

Asking the county to step in is not out of the question.

“It will be part of the discussion,” Wandell said. “In-home services are a priority for the commissioners."

While home-delivered meals would not be impacted, some nutrition sites could reduce its hours.

“I am taking a wait-and-see approach,” Wandell said.

Region 2 receives 76 percent of its funding from the federal government.

“I pray every night this (shutdown) is over and we can move forward,” Wood-Broderick said.